In Japan, spring blossom is celebrated with the traditional custom of Hanami, which means ‘flower viewing’ and is an opportunity to take in the beauty of flowers. It's a practice of restoration, an invitation to connect with plants and the soil; time to give yourself space to breathe, go slowly, walk mindfully and just be in the moment.
Closer to home, Wolds End Orchard in Chipping Campden, is bursting into life and you’re invited to join the spectacle at this year’s Blossom Weekend over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend, from Saturday, April 30 to Monday May 2. Enjoy the breathtaking pink-and-white mosaic across their 94 fruit trees, sitting within nearly three acres of ridge and furrow landscape on the edge of the historic town.
As well as the fruit trees, the ‘Shadow Orchard’, in the form of boundary hedges, will be alive with a variety of blossom, including hawthorn, blackthorn, elder and wild damson, as well as pussy willow catkins and maybe even some early wild rose.
The gate will open from 10.30am-4pm each day. You can find the entrance on the corner of Aston Road and Back Ends, GL55 6AB. Parking in the High Street, Campden School Car Park or public parking bays on Back Ends. No dogs, please, as the orchard is a nature reserve as well as a working orchard.
And make sure you don't miss...
Evesham Blossom Trail
Following a 45-mile signposted route, drive or cycle along the Vale’s country roads and witness its famed fruit trees in full bloom, from mid-March to mid-May. Look out for the white blossoms of plum, damson and pear trees, and the various shades of pink belonging to apples and cherries, as you explore the orchards that the people of Evesham and Pershore have been farming since the Middle Ages. visitevesham.co.uk
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